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I realize that this might be up a bit later than when I had hoped to have this up, but I suppose later than never. This is just my official sign-up for the book review-a-thon at Book Vixen. I am hoping to get a number of my book reviews that I need to work on.

First off, the Bout of Books Readathon isn't going so well for me. I finished To Kill A Mockingbird and that was all about I really read for the week, even though I have a quite a bit to read. But I know that there are going to be other readathons coming up and I will be able to get books done and that this is a stress-free readathon. I did start reading Go Set A Watchman and so far the book is okay (I'm only 2 chapters in and every now and then you can hear Reese Witherspoon's southern accent come through, although you really heard Sissy Spacek's more clearly during To Kill). I don't know why I didn't read as much as I had hoped to, but I think it just amounted to the fact that I was concentrating on one book and I felt really tired at times during the readathon).

As for Beat the Heat Readathon, this one might be a bit more successful, just due to the length of it, being 2 weeks instead o…

It has been a relatively busy week of blogging for me, I don't really know why, but maybe because I had taken a break from blogging since May to a degree (there were 11 posts in June & July), I think I have finally gotten my groove back, but once September hits, I don't know how both of my jobs will affect my blogging, but we will see how things go.

Last Sunday, my parents and I and my parents friends went to a local winery in Kamloops to taste some wine. They are a fairly new winery in BC and what they had on hand was pretty good and I quite enjoyed it. And we got a nice drive out of it. On Wednesday my parents and I went to Kamloops to do some things and while we were there we all had an adult Pirate Pak (if you don't know what I am referring to, here are some images to look at), which was pretty cool (it's mainly a kids thing, but one day a year White Spot, a well-known family restaurant in BC and Alberta, allows adults to get their own Pirate Pak), and then…

Description: England, 1919 In the months following the Armistice, Charlotte Brown leaves behind her wartime work as a nurse and returns to her life as a social worker in Liverpool. There she sets about helping her fellow citizens better themselves, though the world is still reeling from the devastation and loss of the Great War. In her journey she is guided by friends old and new, among them the other women at her boarding house, her colleagues at work, and a radical young newspaper editor who may have romantic designs on her. But even as she tries to look ahead, one man continues to pull her back into her past: Edward, now the Earl of Cumberland, the brother of Charlotte's dearest friend. She hasn't seen him in years and is shocked to discove…

Description: They are the Pipers of Cape Breton Island -- a family steeped in lies and unspoken truths that reach out from the past, forever mindful of the tragic secret that could shatter the family to its foundations.

Chronicling five generations of this eccentric clan, Fall On Your Knees follows four remarkable sisters whose lives are filled with driving ambition, inescapable family bonds, and forbidden love. Their experiences will take them from their stormswept homeland, across the battlefields of World War I, to the freedom and independence of Jazz-era New York City. (from Goodreads)Thoughts: This had been a book that had been on my TBR for at least 15 years, if not longer, due to talk I had heard about…

Description:When Eva Gouel moves to Paris from the countryside, she is full of ambition and dreams of stardom. Though young and inexperienced, she manages to find work as a costumer at the famous Moulin Rouge, and it is here that she first catches the attention of Pablo Picasso, a rising star in the art world.

A brilliant but eccentric artist, Picasso sets his sights on Eva, and Eva can't help but be drawn into his web. But what starts as a torrid affair soon evolves into what will become the first great love of Picasso's life. (from Goodreads)Thoughts: I really didn't know what to make of book, even though I had seen fairly positive reviews of the book on a number of blogs that I read on a regular basis, when I received a copy from the library. But once I delved into t…

I have seen these two meme's posted on a number of sites over the last few years while reading various blogs and thought it was time that I would join in on the fun.

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. Share the opening quote from the book.The Friday 56 is hosted atFreda's Voice. Find a quote from page 56.

My book this week is: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Book Beginning: When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow. Page 56: "Yes," said our father, when Jem asked him if we could go over and sit by Miss Rachel's fishpool with Dill, as this was his last night in Maycomb. "Tell him so long for me, and we'll see him next summer."

The Beat the Heat Readathon runs from August 24th at 12:00 AM to September 6th at 11:59 PM. What does this readathon entail, you ask? Well, read as much or as little as you want – the main point is to READ! You set your own goal, and for three weeks you read as many books as you can/want to reach your goal!There will be mini-challenges throughout the Readathon for participants, along with a grand prize giveaway at the end!Sign up at Novel Heartbeat or at Phantasmic Reads. You may join whenever you like, but to be eligible for our grand prize giveaway, you must sign up by August 28th.To join, all you have to do is make a sign-up post – even if it’s just a “Let’s do this!” thing – and add your post URL to the linky below! You can put your goals and progress (will be required for the final giveaway) in your sign-up post, or you can make it separate. Totally…

The three W's are:What are you currently reading?What did you recently finish reading?What do you think you will read next?Currently reading: I am currently reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah Maclean, The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness and Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy.

Recently finished: Travelling to Infinity by Jane Hawking and The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot.

Reading Next: Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella, The Odyssey by Homer, Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson.

Sorry that this late; I spent the day with family and didn't get home until a few hours ago.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a fun weekly meme that is hosted byShelia at Book Journey, in which we share what we've read and reviewed and what we plan on reading in the coming week.

I would have posted earlier, but I was feeling a little groggy last night and hence didn't post last night.

It wasn't a busy week of reading, but I think that this week will be a little more busy, as I will have to get the books I have signed out from the library completed before I return them this coming weekend.

Last weekDidn't finish anything. I didn't read much from either The Book of Life or Travelling to Infinity for some reason, but did start read To Kill a Mockingbird and A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean. And I am vowing not to start anything else before I finish these four books.

Current read(s)• A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee• The Book of LIfe by Deborah Harkness• Travelling to Infinity by Jane Hawking

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

I’m currently reading…Up next I think I’ll read…I bought the following book(s) in the past week…I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…I can’t wait to get a copy of…I wish I could read ___, but…I blogged about ____ this past week…THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Do you read in the water (bathtub, pool, etc.)? Why, or why not?
I am currently reading To Kill a Mockingbird, Travelling to Infinity, and a couple of others. I don't know what I will read next.
I don't read in the water because I had a bad experience one time in getting a book waterlogged that wasn't my own. It was a library book and had to pay for the book in the end and wasn't too pleased about it. I tend more to read by the water (usually a pool or a beach) because its nice and relaxing for me and it also gives me the chance to do some swimming…

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 17th and runs through Sunday, August 23rd in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 14 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

As most of you that have been following this blog for sometime, know that I enjoy this particular read-a-thon or that I have participated in most of them over the years. This year is no different and it gives me an excellent excuse to get some of the books I have been wanting to get done, done. But because of the time is about a week in the future, I at the present time have no idea as to what I am going to read, as some books that I would want to work on during this time may be completed by that t…

I realize that this is going up later than most of the other posts, but better later than never.

For whatever reason, I have started to get back into my blogging routine. Maybe its because I finally feel comfortable into my blogging routine or its just that I miss writing here. Its also that the last little while hasn't been as busy as July was.

While I didn't get any books completed, I am starting to get back into my reading routine a little more, which means that I'll probably finish something sooner rather than later.

I did a bunch of posting this past week on the blog including a bunch of memes and reviews for Ella Enchanted and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

If you wish to view the stuff that I posted last week, you can go to the main page and view the stuff posted from last week.

As for my plans for this coming week, I am hoping to do the same memes plus a few more book reviews and also linking up them reviews with the various challenges I am involved wi…

This past Tuesday my dad and I went on go-carts that go down a hill. The carts are non-motorized and were really fun. My mom took photos of my dad and I as we went down. Here are some photos of me on the go-karts.

Being pulled up by a tow-rope

Starting to come down the course

A little further down the course

A little more down the course

Concentrating on the next corner

Closing on in the end of the end of the course I really enjoyed the activity and went again today and had even more fun on the course.

Description: It is the middle of the summer, but there is an unseasonal mist pressing against the windowpanes. Harry Potter is waiting nervously in his bedroom at the Dursleys' house in Privet Drive for a visit from Professor Dumbledore himself. One of the last times he saw the Headmaster was in a fierce-one-to-one duel with Dumbledore with Lord Voldemort, and Harry can't quite believe that Professor Dumbledore will actually appear at the Dursleys' of all places. Why is the professor coming to visit him now? What is it that cannot wait until Harry returns to Hogwarts in a few weeks' time? Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts has already got off to an unusual start, as the worlds of Muggle and magic start to intertwine ... (from Goodreads)

Description: At her birth, Ella of Frell was the unfortunate recipient of a foolish fairy's gift -- the "gift' of obedience. Ella must obey any order given to her, whether it's hopping on one foot for a day and a half, or chopping off her own head! But strong-willed Ella does not tamely accept her fate. Against a bold backdrop of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella goes on a quest to break the curse -- once and for all.

In this incredible debut novel comes the richly entertaining story of Ella of Frell, who at birth was given the gift of obedience by a fairy. Ella soon realizes that this gift is little better than a curse, for how can she truly be herself …

The three W's are:What are you currently reading?What did you recently finish reading?What do you think you will read next?Currently reading: I am currently reading The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness and Travelling to Infinity by Jane Hawking.

Recently finished: Nothing really in the last couple of weeks.

Reading Next: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy, The Odyssey by Homer and The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot.

I am sorry for the shortness of the post; I am hoping that next weeks post is a bit more longer.

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer: I’m currently reading…Up next I think I’ll read…I bought the following book(s) in the past week…I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…I can’t wait to get a copy of…I wish I could read ___, but…I blogged about ____ this past week…THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: ((No random question, this week, as it’s a holiday, and I’ve got nothin’!)) I am currently reading The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness and Travelling to Infinity by Jane Hawkins. What I plan on reading next is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot, and The Odyssey by Homer; translated by Robert Fagles. Here are the books that I received this past week: • Print Books: Jane Eyre byCharlotte Brontë *The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne BrontëA Tale for the Time Being by Ruth OzekiShopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella*Go Set a Watchman b…

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a fun weekly meme that is hosted byShelia at Book Journey, in which we share what we've read and reviewed and what we plan on reading in the coming week.

Since my last post on this meme, I have read a number of books, but my reviewing has gone down substantially. I am hoping to work on book reviews tomorrow (Monday) and have some of them up on the blog within the week.

I am also going to change things up a little bit with how I go about this meme based on something I have seen from another participant.

Last Week
I read quite a bit out of Travelling to Infinity and started The Book of Life again. I am hoping to finish both of them by the end of the week; just have to get myself calm enough to get into a reading mood, but knowing how I am thinking, I should be able to get into my reading mode in the next day or two. Part of the reason for the lack of reading was because of travel and for some reason, I was unable to read much.

Image from the Mailbox Monday site Mailbox Monday is a place for readers to share the books that came into their homes during the past week. After being hosted at a number of blogs over the past few years, it has gone back to its home base, the aptly named, Mailbox Monday. I have been on a bit of a book buying spree. One was a book that I had pre-ordered back in the spring because I knew I would get a better deal by pre-ordering it than if I bought it when the book came out. And in addition to the paper books that I purchased, I also purchased a few e-books as well, one of which is being released in October. Here are the paper books I purchased: • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte • The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte • A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki • Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella • Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee Here are the e-books I have ordered and pre-ordered:
• Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer
• Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
• The True Confessions of Charlo…

I can say that with no uncertainty that July was a busy month for me. It wasn't exactly busy month of reading, in fact it probably was one of my worst reading months in a number of months. There were some very valid reasons as to why to was not exactly great reading wise. The main reason was that I was really busy with family and friends.

It was a month that was busy from the start. A friend invited me to a BBQ she and her parents were hosting and it was excellent. My friend is trained as a chef and loves to cook just as much as she loves to read. Once for a book club meeting she was hosting, she made lamb shanks and the meat just fell off the bone; it was so good. Anyways for the BBQ, she had created three different sliders, each representing three different provinces. The first was a salmon slider with some sort of tarter sauce. I liked it (she grilled salmon fillets instead of making a salmon patty). Then there was a whisky BBQ with some fried onions on top. By the t…